


The Enemy Within

by anniecclarke



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 10 Finale, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mark of Cain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-03 19:51:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4112860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anniecclarke/pseuds/anniecclarke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trying to remove the Mark of Cain results in splitting Dean into two parts. How can Dean control the mark without his good side? How can he protect himself from Stynes out for revenge without a bit a bad in him? And most importantly...has his karaoke gotten any better?</p><p>Starts at the end of 10x18 where it weaves in and out of canon</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know this has already been done this series with Charlie but I was watching The Enemy Within and thought I’d have a go. It starts at the end of 10x18.  
> This is the first ever chapter of my first ever fic so be nice! Oh and it hasn't been beta'd or ... what's the American version of Brit-picking? I'm from the UK so please let me know if it makes no sense.

Dean’s mouth was dry and he could still taste the beer from the night before on his own breath as he slowly gained consciousness in a bed which he was slowly realising was not his own. Considering how much he had been drinking recently it must have been a good night as he couldn’t remember getting into said bed. They had been celebrating destroying the Book of the Damned and of course Castiel getting his grace back. Dean had to admit grace looked good on him, when he had arrived back at the bunker with pizza and beer and seen the scruffy brunette, “mmm,” he smiled recalling the previous night. As he lay there he began to feel a warm body next to him, where had this night gone later on, he couldn’t remember but he was in just his boxers so it couldn’t have gone too badly. He rolled over and was just wrapping his arms around his bed mate when an elbow hit him solidly in the ribs and its owner leapt out of the bed yelling.

“Dean, I told you no spooning if you’re gonna sleep in here! And where the hell did your pyjamas go?” spat the angry redhead now coming into focus. Dean’s stunned face, however, softened the anger and she started laughing, “I don’t even know why you came to sleep in my bed last night anyway? What was so wrong with your room? You were so drunk Dean you collapsed on that side and I couldn’t shift you.”

Dean couldn’t remember why this room had seemed so tempting but he laughing back anyway, “I appreciate it Charlie. Up until the elbow of course.”  
“Not apologising for that one Dean, not usually how I like to wake up getting manhandled by an octopus with bad breath,” she retorted.

“Ha ha love ya too Charlie,” sulked Dean before suddenly noticing a scent in the air, exactly what he need at the moment in fact. “Come on I smell bacon,” he yelled quickly escaping the room heading to the kitchen.

He followed the scent through the passageway towards the centre and, rounding the corner, caught sight of a head of messy hair, atop a very neat and fully dressed angel, facing the cooker. Dean paused in the doorway. 

“Dean, I understand the level of intoxication you imbibed last night causes you to crave fatty foods when you break your fast so I have made pancakes and bacon for Charlie and yourself.” Now that Cas was back on form Dean couldn’t have expected him not to notice he was up and about. He walked into the kitchen to join him and was surprised at how good the breakfast looked. 

“Cheers Cas, considering you are back to tastes like molecules I didn’t realised you remembered when Sammy taught you to make this.”

“It is a simply enough recipe Dean, and I had help from a Mrs Elizabeth Crocker you humans seem fond of.”

“’S g’d” replied Dean with his mouth already full. 

Soon Charlie had joined them and Dean realised Cas had only put out two plates. 

“Hey Cas, where’s Sam? Have you seen him this morning?” Charlie asked as she sat down.

“He decided to go running,” replied Cas, “he informed me he was going to drive to a park a reasonable distance away for security reasons. I agreed it was a good idea not to be seen too close to the bunker with the threat of the Steins and the possibility of them discovering your home. Sam may have destroyed the book but he still killed one of their own.”

“Probably a good idea, so he won’t be wanting any of this then,” smiled Dean piling a third helping onto his plate.

***

With an end having been put to the damn book, a joke which Dean had defiantly found funny and made sure to tell both Cas and Charlie that morning, Dean felt he was entitled to a day off. Charlie disappeared after breakfast and Cas claimed he had something important to do regarding Metatron, so Dean was left to himself. Lazing on the couch watching TV seemed like a good plan for a day off so beer and chips in hand he settled down to watch Kirk attempting to defeat one of the most fearful, ok most fluffy, creatures he ever encountered whilst wondering if he had introduced Cas to this episode. Sam had told him about Cas hoping there was a guinea pig in the bunker and Dean had been wondering if that would be weird thing for him to buy for the angel. The Enterprise continued with its journey drifting through the cosmos and Dean slowly began to drift himself, imagining Cas on board the ship arguing with Kirk and beaming the adorable critters to his cabin. 

***

He could hear Sam pottering about in the hallway, when he glanced at the TV he was at least 2 episodes further on. His head was pounding so he walked to the kitchen for a glass of water while calling to Sam.

“That was an awfully long run Sammy, how far away did you decide to drive?” he enquired, extracting himself from the couch.

“Hey Dean!” came a reply down the hallway. “It was a nice day for a drive so I kept going and ended up at a lake just over 2 hour south of here called Wilson Lake, it was nice there were lots of trails to run and there was even a shower so I wasn’t all sweaty driving back.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just you were gone a long time, I missed you Sam,” muttered Dean distractedly starting to wash up the pans Cas had left from breakfast.

“Um, yeah?” replied Sam, shocked, it had been a long time since he had gotten a lie that bad past his brother, “you been ok Dean?”

“I’m great Sammy,” smiled Dean though Sam couldn’t see, “did you take Baby for your run?”

“No, one the Men of Letters cars,” shouted Sam, having reached his room to get quickly changed. “I came in to ask you for the keys to the Impala but Cas was in there and said you didn’t sleep in your room at all last night. I didn’t want to just take them from your table,” he continued, getting easier for Dean to hear as he made his way back to the communal area. 

“I bunked in with Charlie,” Dean told his brother who was now entering the kitchen. “We had a good old fashion sleepover and then Cas made breakfast for us this morning, we really did appreciate it and then I spent the morning watching the TV. I had a beer which may not be the best idea at 11am and probably why I napped on the couch for a few hours. You hungry Sammy? I could make us something healthy, I know you like all that stuff.” 

Sam looked at him almost shocked, “yeah sure Dean, if you feel up to it? I think the healthiest thing you ever made me was that jellybean salad you gave me when I was seven, you said it was definitely salad because it only had the green ones in but I knew that was only because you don’t like green jellybeans and had eaten all the rest already.”

“I’m sorry Sam, I should have taken better care of you” replied Dean quietly. Looking over at his brother Sam could see the man looked almost crestfallen. Worrying he approached the sink but when he reached Dean he was almost knocked over by the bear hug the older man attacked him with. 

“I’m sorry Sammy,” Dean practically wept into Sam’s shoulder.

“Um it’s ok Dean,” promised Sam as he trying to untangle the older Winchester from himself. Grabbing hold of his arms he looked at his brother’s face and could see he was actually crying.

“Dean,” comforted Sam trying to avoid being pulled back into another of what in his right mind his brother would term a chick flick moment. “Look at me Dean, I’m fine, all 6 foot 4 of me, you…you fed me fine Dean,” he explained wondering what was happening to the man in front of him. Sam reached down to try and remove at least one of his hands from the vice grip each was in and noticed the patch of skin on Dean’s right arm was clear and shock set in for just a second before pulling it forward to show his brother.

“Dean! Look! The mark has gone!!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains strong language and sexual references from the start and throughout...enjoy ;)

Cas has been questioning tourists in Jerusalem after a tip off about Metatron hiding out when he heard Dean’s first prayer. It wasn’t the same as usual simply a “Cas get your feathered ass here quick” there wasn’t the desire or urgency behind it which he typically felt when Dean was in peril so Cas continued what he was doing. He kept Dean in the back of his mind and for the next hour or so felt small bursts of want from the hunter but nothing which seemed more urgent than what he was currently doing. He was speaking to an elderly Dutch woman who seemed more interested in showing Cas photos of her cat than answering his question when he felt a shudder go through him as the low tickle of longing peaked dramatically, Dean was in trouble.

Landing in a flurry Cas assessed the scene, he counted three bodies but couldn’t see Dean anywhere. They were in a large room with a stage, no a bar, with a stage. Looking closer where Cas had assumed the worst the ‘bodies’ were still alive and actually two minimally dress blonde women and a dark haired man with a ripped shirt passed out on the floor of what he was now realising was a strip club. He allowed his grace to expand to try and sense where Dean was and if he was in real trouble and felt a presence in the room behind the bar. He could hear Dean’s pulse still racing so Cas leapt across the bar and broke down the door to be met with a high pitched scream and a burst of laughter. Dean was stood with his back against the wall fully naked, his bulging cock wet with saliva assumedly courtesy of the girl who was still screaming and currently unlocking the office door to get away from the frightening looking man in the trench coat wielding a hefty looking metal blade. Cas averted his eyes but Dean didn’t try and hide himself.

“Well howdy there angel, I was just talking about you. Since you so kindly interrupted us halfway wanna help a guy out?” asked Dean cocking an eyebrow and reaching a hand down to slowly work it across the head of his dick collecting the precum which was slowly forming.

“Dean I do not understand why you called me here, you are not in any trouble and I told you clearly this morning I had important work. And … stop doing that!” Cas snapped glaring at Dean who had begun to suck the fluid from his fingers, refusing to break eye contact with the other man.

“Oh Cas but I did need you,” he drawled back, wet fingers reluctantly out of his mouth and instead playing with his right nipple. “The manager of the club was refusing to let me drink anything more and how was I going to bang all three of the girls performing tonight as well as that hot piece of bartender you saw out there without a little sustenance? Don’t worry though I sorted it out, he is in that room back there.” He pointed to the now unlocked room at the other end just in time for them to hear a second scream and the earlier girl rushed out of the room. Cas caught her and placing two fingers on her temple she relaxed in his arms. He placed the sleeping girl on a chair in the corner and moved towards the office to assess the damage. The manager was hog tied on the floor of the room with a gag in his mouth, unconscious and badly bruised but at least still alive, “small miracles” thought the angel. He bent down to heal and untie the man before placing him on a chair as well and finally turned back to Dean intent on approach him to see how badly the mark was getting to him but the sight of the man was too much.

“Cas that anger looks amazing on you,” Dean panted one hand now migrated to his other nipple and the other working his cock up and down. “You came all this way angel, but you missed most of the fun. Those girls were great but the bartender, oh! So willing, so tight and warm and … mmm” Dean lost himself mid-sentence his head thrown back, enjoying the memory from earlier in the night. 

Refusing to drop Cas' gaze the angel could see his pupil dilate and a red flush spread across his cheeks and the top of his chest. Eyes locked on Cas' he moved his hand from his nipple and began to suck on his fingers again. Anyone else would have left, or tried to stop him but Castiel was frozen to the spot unsure what to do, he had to admit he had thought about Dean sexually on at least one occasion back when he was human, but never like this, so vulgar. The angels eyes dropped to Dean's straining cock still leaking precum as the hunter slowly worked himself, noticing where Cas was now focuses Dean began to breath harder, his wet fingers slid from his mouth with a pop and he spread his legs. Giving the angel a clearer view he pushed one finger inside himself and moaned loudly, he started thrusting harder into his other hand watching Cas' eyes widen at a sight he had only ever imagined. Moaning the angels name Dean came hard, drops of his fluid splashing on the man's chest, arms and thighs as well as the floor around him. Grinning he gave a smouldering look at Cas and licked cum from his fingers.

“Missed a lot of fun here sweetheart. But if you don’t wanna party I’m sure I can find someone else to play with,” Dean finished with a wink and as he began pulling his jeans and shirt. Fully dressed he walked straight out leaving a still stunned Cas alone in the strip club listening to Baby’s engine roar away.


	3. Chapter 3

It turned out there was nothing very healthy looking in the fridge so Dean went to grab the keys to the Impala. They weren’t in his room, he turned it upside down, even removing his prized memory foam mattress to help him search better. Half an hour later he came out of his room looking flustered and Sam agreed to help him to sweep the rest of the bunker. They had no luck. Finally they went down into the garage where Dean kept Baby amongst the other classic cars the Men of Letters had left and were shocked to find not only the keys but also the car was missing. Sam was waiting quietly, from past experience he knew what was coming next.

“Oh well,” shrugged Dean turning back to face Sam, “Charlie probably borrowed her to go sort her motel room out. She said she was going to stay with us and rest for a few weeks.” 

They ended up taking a Buick, after Dean’s joke about most cars from the 50s not being designed for moose length legs. It wasn’t the Impala but Dean had a good time driving them both down to the local town, while Sam contemplated Dean’s lack of reaction to the missing car. To his further surprise they passed straight by the large supermarkets on the outskirts and ended up at a farmer’s market in the town centre. A very excited Dean spent a long while picking out all of Sam’s favourite, but they did stop at the homemade apple pie stall before they had completed their shop as if Sam could expect anything else. Walking back to the car, fresh produce in Dean’s arms, a very confused Sam tried insisting he help only to be shot down by his big brother. There was something more going on with the older Winchester, Sam concluded, and it wasn’t just happiness at the mark’s disappearance. The man had willingly bought kale for christ sake and was just walking and chatting like he had no cares in the world. Sam was glad that his secret meeting with Rowena, and the spell they tried had work but had something gone wrong? Trying to figure out how he was going to broach this with Dean Sam failed to notice that the pair were being trailed.

As they rounded the corner into the alley where they had left the car two men dropped down behind them. Sam turned, his blade out ready to fight, checking to his right that his brother had done the same; this was a well-practiced move their father had them drilling since both could walk, but Dean wasn’t there. He had no time to analyse his brother’s new tactic as the ambushers enclosed Sam. He could hear the Southern drawl in their voice as the older of the two asked, “where’s the book then boy?”

“I burnt it,” shouted Sam leaping forward trying to get the speaker pinned up against the wall. The man ducked out of the way laughing, “not likely darlin’. If you had tried for real you would know that book cannot be destroyed simply by fire.” 

Sam swivelled quickly around to grab the arm of the younger Styne who had tried to get a right hook into his belly. Twisting the man around he secured one arm around his neck and was about to get the blade up against his neck when a scream from behind the car distracted him.

“Sam, don’t kill him,” came Dean’s shaky voice from his hiding place. The shock at his brother not only refusing to fight but cowering behind the Buick, and seemingly distraught at the fact that Sam was fighting, phased him long enough for his captive to get loose. 

“What’s wrong with your brother?” grinned the younger Styne, “in our family we protect one another, right Eldon!”

“Sure do kiddo,” replied the other moving slowly towards Sam. “And this is for killing one of ours already, and trying again with this one.” He jerked his head to indicate his younger cousin before launching himself at Sam, but the taller man was too quick for him. Sam parried the blade, knocked Eldon’s knees from underneath him and sent the man crashing down, face smashed against the concrete. A quick jolt to the head from the back of Sam’s knife had the man unconscious and Sam regained his feet to advance on the other. Fear shot across the face of the younger man and before Sam could grab him he turned and fled.

Sam picked up Eldon and threw him into the trunk of the car, he took ropes and cuffs and once ensuring their prisoner was secure turned to find his brother standing beside him, head down in a submissive posture and visibly shaken.

“Sammy I…” Dean tried but couldn’t get the words out. He was wringing his hands and looked to the younger Winchester as if he was about to collapse. “That was scary!”

Sam put an arm around his brother to steady the man. “I really don’t know what is going on with you at the moment Dean,” he wondered helping him into the passenger seat of the car. Dean reluctantly let go of Sam’s hand and he moved round to the driver’s side to take them both home. 

***

Dean was sat at the kitchen table having finished their meal when Sam’s phone began to vibrate in front of him. Dean knew his brother was busy with their new guest so he picked up the device and glanced at the screen which read ‘Cas’. Wondering why the angel was calling his brother instead of himself he slide his finger across the screen to answer it.

“Hey Cas.” 

“Sam?” came the gruff familiar voice of the angel.

“No it’s Dean,” he corrected, “Sam’s busy. What’s up.”

Castiel’s breathing stiffened and he briefly paused. After a few seconds he responded but his voice had become harsh and angry, “Dean, I didn’t expect you would be back in the bunker, what have you done with Sam?”

“Not much,” replied Dean misunderstanding the question, “we went into town, had lunch, met a few friends,” maintaining a jokey air with the angel not wanting to worry him as he seemed to be highly stressed. “You just checking in with us Cas? Like you do.”

“That isn’t funny Dean,” warned Cas, “where is Sam now?” 

Dean wanted to tell him the truth and started “he’s in the dungeon at the moment just …” but Cas interrupted him.

“Dean what the hell have you done!” Cas seemed so enraged he was struggling to even get the words out properly. “I mean this afternoon you...but your own brother!!”

“Cas?” questioned Dean meekly, wondering if he needed to get Sam to help him calm the angel down. “I don’t know what you…” but the line had gone dead. 

Dean felt a breeze catch the back of his neck and the lights in the room flickered. He turned to see what happened only to find a very angry very powerful angel blocking the door, eyes glowing blue with grace and the shadow of wingspan covering the walls of the bunker. Before Dean could think Castiel had grabbed him and, forcing the man to the floor, placed a hand on his face before Dean descended into darkness.

***

He awoke with a start and Sam’s arms wrapped around him. 

“What the? Cas was? Sam!!” Dean cried out, shaking in his brothers arms. He could see the angel perched on a chair in the far corner, his narrowed eyes fixed on the smaller man. He couldn’t understand what had made Cas so angry with him, and why he would attack him like that so out of the blue. 

“Dean,” started Sam, causing his brother to jump, “Cas seems to think you were in Belleville this afternoon, at a strip club. He says you attacked the manager of the club and tied him up. But I told him you were with me all afternoon.”

Cas jumped in but still kept a wary eye on the Dean, “I apologize if I scared you, but I thought the mark was taking effect again; when you told me your brother was in the dungeon I panicked and made every effort to restrain you so I could help him. I had called to warn him about how you had been behaving during the day.”

“But Cas, the mark has gone!” Dean exclaimed leaping up to show the angel the now clear patch of skin on the inside of his arm. “Sammy noticed it had vanished this morning when he got home from his run.”

“But that’s before I met up with you at the club?” Cas began to ponder. “How could the mark be on you there and not here? Last time I saw you, you were loaded up with the mark and driving off in the Impala.”

“Cas the Impala has been missing all day,” input Sam, “I was the last to see the keys this morning when I spoke to you in Dean’s room before I left to meet…”

“To what Sam?” asked Cas, his gaze now fixing on the other brother.

“To run,” replied Sam, his voice cracking a little.

“No Sam, don’t lie to me, where did you go!” demanded the angel.

“Ok, I might know a little more about what happened to the mark,” admitted Sam settling back to tell the other men what he had actually been up to that morning. 

Sam told them about arranging a meeting with Rowena, taking her the book, and spending the morning pouring over it together. Most of the text Rowena had said were impossible to read but the illustrations throughout had helped identify the section pertaining to the Mark of Cain and with Rowena’s history it seemed she could decipher the spell below which seemed to show and image a man before and after, with the mark and then without. They needed the fork from an adder’s tongue, demon blood and something once possessed by an angel. It had never crossed Sam’s mind at the time that this was all too easy, he was too excited to get his brother cured. Rowena agreed to perform the spell in exchange for only the book as it had been so easy and once everything was complete a bolt shot out of the witches hand which had been painted with Sam’s blood as part of the ritual. He had left just after this and headed back to the bunker and as he had already explained, found that Dean no longer possessed the mark.

“So you went behind my back Sam!” exclaimed Dean loudly, “not only did you know the book wasn’t destroyed but you worked with the witch without consulting me!”

“Dean I was trying to help,” argued Sam.

“Yes,” agreed Dean, “I suppose you were. Not been that great a role model myself eh Sammy,” he continued jabbing the younger man lightly in the ribs. “Can’t say I never lied to you trying to help.” 

Sam smiled faintly at his brother, or at least at half of his brother?

“So you think this spell created a ‘mark’ me and a ‘regular’ me instead?” queried Dean.

Sam thought about this before answering “I dunno Dean, you have been kinda off today though. You wouldn’t fight beside me and you have been very um … nice all of a sudden?”

“What you saying Sammy? I’m always nice to you?” wondered Dean.

“Yeah right, jerk,” shot Sam.

Dean grimaced at him, and in a low voice replied “bitch”. Ok, he thought, maybe not nice 100% of the time.

“Ok,” decided Sam now directed at Castiel. “I think we have ‘mark’ Dean and ‘kale-eating’ Dean, and I’d quite like a whole brother back.”

“Yes Sam of course,” replied the angel. “I will attempt to locate the other half of Dean and place him somewhere out of harm’s way until we figure out how to reverse this. Having met him I can say it is likely not safe to keep them together, nor am I equipped to take care of him.”

“Shame we haven’t got another key from the wizard of Oz eh,” Sam joked to his brother as Castiel flew off. “Better go and check on Styne, come on Dean.”

The brothers walked down the passageway to the dungeon and Sam opened the door. It was very quiet considering they had a prisoner but as they moved the bookcase they were shocked. All that was left in the room was a single handcuff attached to the ceiling. Suspended from it was most of a forearm, slowly dripping a puddle of blood on the stone floor filling up part of the devils trap below.

“Oh shit Dean we need to find him before he can get back to his family,” panicked Sam.

“I think he will be a long way from here by now,” suggested Dean, "we were talking to Cas for some time. Sam why did you only use one handcuff to secure him? And how did he detach his arm in such an odd place?”

“Um…I may have taken the rest of the shackles to meet Rowena just in case,” grimaced Sam, realising his stupidity. “The arm thing though, no idea. It looks weird,” Sam stepped forward for closer inspection, “almost like a prop in a movie that no one could work out how to finish.”

“Eww, Sammy leave it be,” requested Dean.

The boys left the almost empty dungeon and headed back to the war room. There were Stynes to catch, and books to translate, and only one and a half Winchesters to do it, it was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

Cas landed in an alley behind the bar where he knew Dean had been drinking all afternoon. The feeling he often got from the hunter, a mild ongoing longing, was usually soothing for the angel, he knew where Dean was and that he was ok. If it meant that it also proved to Castiel that Dean missed him when he wasn’t around, well as an Angel of the Lord he was beyond such thoughts, but yes it was pleasant. These new feelings he was getting however did not sit right. Firstly they were split between two distinct points in space which was odd in itself, but the feelings coming from the Dean he was currently checking on were downright uncomfortable.

The angel stepped through the fire door into the bar and found that Dean had done as promised and found someone else for the ongoing party he seemed to have decided upon. Dean’s companion noticed Cas’ entrance.

“Well hello there wings, I was wondering when you would turn up,” greeted the sharply-dressed man.

“Crowley,” rumbled Cas as he started thinking through the ways he was going to be able to get the demon to help him. He could see Dean on the small stage belting out the words to ‘she’s my cherry pie’ but the hunter hadn’t spotted him. Cas turned back to Crowley and requested he step outside for a few minutes.

They left the bar though the main doors this time and crossed the street into a small park for more privacy. Both men could still see Dean as the lights in the bar were so bright but no one from the bar could see into the shade where they stood. Crowley leant up against the metal fence surrounding the park and looked at Cas. 

“Got your grace back now I see,” the demon commented. “But you didn’t come here to show off those feather did you.”

“No,” replied Castiel, “I came in search of Dean and as you are in his company I was hoping you could be of assistance to me.”

“Oh, I noticed that little mark seems to be worming its way back into his head again,” Crowley chuckled. “Not gone full black eyes again yet though, pity they looked wonderful on the boy.” The King of Hell smirked at the memory which got him a scathing look from the angel. The demon continued, “Squirrel and I have been having a lot of fun, hope you’re not here to try and crash the party?”

“Did he tell you what happened to cause the mark to assert this level of influence on him?” asked Cas, curious to whether this version of Dean understood what had happened to him.

“All he said to me was that he woke up and fancied a drink so drove down to a bar,” shrugged Crowley. “Do you know?” he asked the angel.

Castiel knew that if he was going to get Crowley on his side he needed to tell the truth. He told him the full story and especially dug in the bits about Rowena being the one to cause this. When his mother was mentioned Crowley eyes narrowed and Cas thought he heard a low growl from the demon.   
“So what do you want me to do then wings?” Crowley asked the angel when everything had been explained.

“I need you to keep an eye on this half of Dean, make sure he doesn’t get into trouble with the Stynes. And contact Sam if anything goes awry.” Cas explained quickly looking hopefully at the man opposite him.

“He seems to want to stay with me so looks like I am babysitting anyway. Fine, I will call moose if little half-a-Dean decides to get into any fights with these friends of his,” Crowley agreed, but didn’t look too pleased with his new job.

Cas nodded to the demon who took this is his cue to leave, walking back across the road and into the bar to find the hunter and another drink. Cas checked around him and with the street empty he flew back to the bunker.

***

Dean was exhausted, he had had a headache since the incident and research seemed endless. Every time he thought he found something Sam found the opposite, and most of the time there was zilch anyway. He didn’t want to give up and go to bed as he knew this would disappoint his brother but as soon as he saw Sam’s eyes begin to hang more heavily and notice a stifled yawn he made a decision and ordered his younger brother to sleep. Laying in his room and staring at the ceiling however Dean could not sleep. His stomach felt sick and every so often he would get painful twinges on his face or in his ribs, what was his counterpart doing out there? He turned over and looked at the clock. He had been lying in bed for two hours, if he wasn’t going to sleep he might as well do something useful. 

Slipping on a t shirt and sweat pants he walked down the hall to the kitchen intending to get a drink before he started. When he entered he saw Castiel sitting at the table.

“Hello Dean,” started the angel without even turning around, “I wanted to allow you your four hours and as I arrived back after both of you had gone to bed I thought it safer to just wait here.”

“Can’t sleep Cas,” Dean explained, “remember I told you about Charlie? When something painful happened to one of her halves the other felt it too, well I think I keep getting into fights and drinking and um-”

“I wish I could help you Dean,” said Cas sadly, “I met with Crowley and he is watching over your counterpart but I do not think he will be discouraging him from fighting or drinking.” 

“S’ok Cas, it’s nice to have a distraction from it. Wanna come watch TV with me? You can chose,” Dean offered.

Castiel nodded and so Dean grabbed his drink and led the angel to the other room and sat down on the couch. He threw Cas the TV remote who, after flicking through the channels, found that Jurassic Park was just starting. The angel looked pleased with his choice and Dean wasn’t about to complain so the two settled in to watch. All through the movie Dean told Cas little facts he had learnt about the actors and how they made the movie while Cas told Dean how wrong the dinosaurs looked. “Dean, I watched them on the earth for thousands of years, why did this Spielberg man not given them feathers?”

Dean soon found himself relaxing and even missed the last half of the movie only to wake up to the title music to find his head on the angel’s shoulder, enjoying the comfort he kept his eyes closed to enjoy the feeling a little longer. He was relieved he had managed to sleep a little and maybe the comforting presence of the angel calmed the link which had been causing him distress. A sharp pain in his knuckle showed him he was wrong, he jumped up in shock, Castiel assumed this was due to the position Dean had found him in and backed off quickly. Another pain in his stomach made the hunter double over on the couch groaning, one to the back and he was on the floor. Cas now understood the cause and ran over to his friend to help him back up. Dean jumped when Cas took hold of his arm, too concerned about the mirrored injuries coursing through his body, but they angel placed the now shaking man back onto the couch and tried to hold him steady and stop him adding to his agony by falling again. 

This went on for another 20 minutes, there were tears flowing down Dean’s face at his inability to do anything and Castiel couldn’t stand it. When the assault finally stopped Dean was almost unconscious, but there did not appear to be any physical injury on the man’s body so Cas bent down and picked him up, carrying him bridal style down the corridor to put him into bed. Letting go of Dean to place the covers over him a still shaking hand reached out and closed around Cas’s wrist followed by a quiet voice begging “watch over me”.

***

Dean awoke in pure bliss. He was wrapped in the angel’s arms, the warmth and security was amazing after the loss of control which had been inflicted on the hunter only a few hours before. He wondered how long it would be before the angel noticed the change in his breathing but he felt content to steal a few more moment, embed them in his thoughts to help him through the next day and whatever was going to come. He was so relaxed, except, oh god what the hell was that. Dean leapt out of bed “Oh my god Cas I’m so sorry,”

The angel sat up a little, he hadn’t needed to sleep that night but had still been enjoying the sound of Dean’s regular breaths and the warmth of the hunter. The sudden change worried him.   
“Dean what is the problem?” asked Cas.

“Um, I just remembered um-” stuttered Dean, his back still to the angel.

“Dean-” started Castiel, the register of his voice lowered, “turn around, look at me and tell me the problem.”

The command in the angels voice phased the other man and, head lowered, he turn to face Cas. The source of Dean’s discomfort was easily visible in the loose sweat pants he had slept in.

“I’m sorry Cas, um, I think it is another counterpart thing, like last night when I could feel the pain The longer we are split the more the connect is growing, I think I am also starting to feel, well, you know,” Dean explained jerking his head downwards indicating the problem.

“Dean, get back into bed, we can wait it out, like we did with the other issues last night,” Cas offered.

Dean blushed and replied quietly, “Cas I don’t think my being in bed with you is going to help my situation.”

The angel looked at him, he had not expected that reaction from the man standing opposite him. “Dean, I didn’t think you actually felt-” he started, but the embarrassed look on the other man’s face stopped him saying any more. Dean was just stood there looking like he didn’t have a clue what to do with himself.

Castiel made the decision for him, “Dean, do you want me to help you?” he asked.

“Cas, you don’t feel the same way, you can’t just offer that,” Dean rejected, he was trying to make himself as small as possible, embarrassment blushing on his cheeks and chest.

“Dean,” started Castiel getting off the bed and moving towards the hunter, “you spend your whole life hunting things which others never see, your job is to notice what strives in life not be noticed, but you can be so blind sometimes.” As he spoke he placed his hand lightly on Dean’s chin and gently guided it so that he was staring into green watery eyes. “Please let me help you Dean,” Castiel asked again, and the hunter replied with a very slight nod before Cas closed the gap between them and kissed him.


End file.
